NBC does swimmingly in latest Olympics ratings

The bad news for NBC: The swimming competition is over for these Summer Olympics. The good news: The network is more than keeping its head above water in ratings.

Saturday night’s prime-time Olympics window produced a 17.6 rating and 31.1 million viewers, according to the network, making it NBC’s most-watched Saturday night program since 1990. An episode of “Empty Nest,” starring Richard Mulligan, attracted 31.4 viewers some 17½ years ago. (Insert pun here on NBC taking a mulligan in the ratings.)

The audience peaked at 40 million viewers around 11 p.m., when U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps successfully earned his record eighth gold medal of the Games in a live showing of the 200-meter medley relay.

The network’s ratings average through nine days is 17.4, a 10 percent increase from four years ago in Athens.